GOSSIP matters hard to grasp

Artmix-twin-exhibition by Noé Duboutay (he/they), Darja Linder (she/her), Sophia Lökenhoff (they/them), and Hannah Mevis (she/her)

Until the 14th century, “I’m going out with my gossip” was a common declaration used by predominantly assigned females at birth and femme identifying individuals to describe that they were meeting up with trusted others. In the context of that time, “gossip” described not only friends, but generally people who shared wisdom(s). The gossips were also responsible for passing on stories orally and thus made an important contribution to the well-being of the community.

With the rise of capitalism and the associated degradation of womxn’s knowledge, the meaning of the word changed towards informal chatter. Today, the term still embodies the negative connotation and the embedded devaluation of “femme” knowledge systems and labor.

In the spirit of the original meaning, the four artmix-artists Noé Duboutay (*1995 in Luxembourg; lives between Berlin and Luxembourg), Darja Linder (*1992 in Thälmanskij/Russia; lives and works in Saarbrücken), Sophia Lökenhoff (*1989 in Essen/Germany; lives and works in Berlin) and Hannah Mevis (*1989 in Heidelberg/Germany; lives and works between Saarbrücken and Brussels) are developing a twin-exhibition centered on the interweaving of memories and the political act of exchanging knowledge:

„We are artists, friends, and trusted gossips who engage with personal backgrounds, experiences, physicalities, and curiosities. We do this to counter the greed of toxic power structures with values that lie beyond the patriarchy. In the communal refusal to solidify, we offer multiple counter-positions that let us move towards the wisdom of forgotten stories.

We invite you to witness our gathering(s) to immerse yourself in worlds of matters that are hard to grasp."

Artmix is an exchange program between the cities of Saarbrücken and Luxembourg. The cooperation partners of the project are the Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken and from Luxembourg the Cercle Cité, neimënster, as well as Casino Display. For the current edition, the jury decided in favor of the artists Noé Duboutay (he/they) for Luxembourg and Darja Linder (she/her) for Saarbrücken. Noé decided to include Sophia Lökenhoff (they/them) in the team and Darja selected Hannah Mevis (she/her).

Exhibition opening

Friday 3 May at 18:00

Free entrance, no prior registration needed

Free guided tour every Saturday 

04.05 at 15:00 (FR)

11.05 at 15:00 (EN)

18.05 at 15:00 (LU/DE)

25.05 at 15:00 (FR)

01.06 at 15:00 (EN)

22.06 at 15:00 (FR)

29.06 at 15:00 (EN)

Free entrance and without registration

Curatorial visit 

15.06 at 15:00 (LU/DE)

Free entrance and without registration

Exhibition at the Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken

03.05 - 26.05.2024

Opening: Thursday 2 May at 19:00

Organisation: Artmix exchange program in collaboration with the cities of Saarbrücken and Luxembourg

Partners: Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken, Cercle Cité, neimënster and Casino Display

Artists and curators: Noé Duboutay (he/they), Darja Linder (she/her), Sophia Lökenhoff (they/them), and Hannah Mevis (she/her)

Location: Large room of the Ratskeller exhibition space

Exceptional closure of the exhibition space: From 07/06/2024 to 10/06/2024